Posted April 2, 2003
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INTRODUCTION The goal of
this study is to gain a better understanding of what the New Testament teaches
about leadership roles in God’s church.
Since Jesus purchased his church with his own blood (Acts 20:28) and is
the head of his church (Ephesians 1:22), the starting point for discovering
what kind of leaders Jesus wants is his own example and teachings about
leaders. Some of the attributes that
Jesus emphasized for leaders in his kingdom are: ·
Leaders
must not put religious traditions above the clear teachings of God. (Matthew 12:1-8; Mark 2:23-28; Luke 6:1-3;
Matthew 15:1-11; Mark 7:1-14; John 9) ·
Humility
is an absolute requirement to lead. (Matthew 18:2-4 Mark ·
Leaders
must not be self-righteous. (Luke 18:9-13; John 8:31-58) ·
Leaders
must be servants – of the church and of the poor and needy. (Matthew 20:20-28;
Mark ·
Leaders
must be more concerned about their followers than about themselves. (Matthew 18:12-14; John 10:1-16; John
21:15-22) ·
Leaders
must be spiritual people. (Luke 17:20-21; John 3:1-10) ·
Leaders
must set an example worthy of imitation. (Luke 6:39-40) ·
Leaders
must have an “inclusive” rather than an “exclusive” attitude. (Mark 9:38-4; Luke 9:49-50) ·
Leaders
should be friends with those they lead. (John 15:9-17) Some things
Jesus strongly condemned in the leadership of the Pharisees: (Matthew 23; Luke 11) ·
Did
not practice what they preached – they were hypocrites. ·
Made
their followers sacrifice more that they were willing to themselves. ·
Performed
religious acts to get the praise of men. ·
Loved
to have titles that brought honor to themselves. ·
Placed
more importance on legalistic rules than on obedience from the heart. ·
Were
more concerned with outward actions than inward righteousness. ·
Were
proud of their religious heritage. ·
Hindered
people from seeing the truth and entering the kingdom. ·
Condemned
true prophets who exposed the evils of their religious system. ·
Loved
money and justified themselves in the eyes of men. (Luke 16:14) LEADERSHIP ROLES IN GOD’S CHURCH (this list may not be
exhaustive) Apostles The
basic meaning is “a messenger”, “one sent on a mission”. “The Twelve” were chosen by Jesus to be
apostles. (Matthew 10; Mark 3; Luke 6) A requirement to be an apostle was to have
personally witnessed the ministry and resurrection of Jesus. (Act 1:21-26) Therefore, there are no apostles in the
church today. Others who were not among
“the twelve” are also referred to in the N.T. as ‘apostles’. (Barnabas and Paul – Acts Prophets
The basic meaning is “a proclaimer of God’s word”.
Sometimes it involves predicting the future (Agabus
– Acts The
prophets were key in communicating God’s plan of
salvation and his will for the life of the church until the inspired Scriptures
were written and available. Some
examples of prophets in the book of Acts are found in Acts 11:27; 13:1; Teachers
Teachers are mentioned along with apostles and
prophets as being appointed by God to have an important role in the church. (1 Cor. 12:28-29; Ephesians 4:11-14; Acts 13:1) There were those in the early church with the
“gift” of teaching (Romans 12:7). All
Christians should mature to the point of being able to teach others the basics
of God’s word. (Hebrews 5:12) Teachers will be judged more strictly than
others. (James 3:1) Evangelists The
basic meaning is “one who brings or proclaims good news”. Even though the word occurs only three times
in the N.T. (Acts 21:8; Ephesians Leaders
In addition to specific roles, leaders in
the early church are often described by two Greek verbs (‘hegeomai’
and ‘proistemi’) that mean “to lead”, “to guide”, “to
rule”, “to govern”. The church
was obviously divided into those who lead and those who were led. God clearly intends for those who are being
led to submit to their leaders, make their work a joy and imitate their faith.
(Hebrews 13:7,17,24)
God wants us to respect our
leaders even though they are imperfect.
It is God’s will for leaders in the church to be honored, encouraged and
followed. Judas and Silas were leaders
among the brothers. (Acts Preachers
The word translated “preacher” is ‘karux’
which means “one who proclaims”. The
noun occurs 3 times in the N.T., twice referring to Paul and once to Noah. (1
Tim. 2:7; 2 Tim. 1:11; 2 Peter 2:5). The
verb “to proclaim” occurs 60 times in the N.T. and is used predominantly of
Paul, but also of Peter, Philip, Timothy and Silas. Those who preached the gospel had a right to
be financially supported by those they served. (study
1 Cor. 9:1-18) Elders/Overseers/Shepherds
These three words are used interchangeably for the same role. For example, in Acts ·
“Elder”
is a translation of the Greek word ‘presbuteros’. The basic meaning is “elder” or “older men”. In early Greek literature it was used in a
positive sense, emphasizing the wisdom and counsel of the aged. ·
“Overseer”
or “Bishop” are translations of the Greek word ‘episkopos’. The
basic meaning is “overseer”, “guardian”, “superintendent”. There are only 5 occurrences of ‘episkopos’ in the N.T.: Acts ·
“Shepherd”
or “Pastor” are translations of the Greek word ‘poimen’. The basic
meaning is a shepherd. Congregational
leaders are called “shepherds” (Eph. Deacons
The Greek word that is translated as “deacon” in the N.T. is ‘diakonos’. In most
English translations, ‘diakonos’ is translated as
“deacon” only in 1 Tim. 3:8-12 and Philippians 1:1. It is most often translated “servant” or
“minister” in the N.T. The
qualifications of deacons are given in 1 Tim. 3 after those of overseers. The overseers must satisfy more demands,
including the ability to teach. It seems
that the primary task of deacons was one of administration and practical
service. This view is based on the
meaning of the word (“servant”) and (in contrast to the words used for elder/overseer/shepherd)
‘diakonos’ carries no meaning of oversight, ruling or
watching over. The word ‘diakonos’
occurs 30 times in the N.T. and is translated 6 times (in the NIV) as
“minister” (Rom. 15:16; 2 Cor. 3:6; Col. 1:7; 4:7; 1
Tim. 4:6; Heb. 13:10). It is most often
translated “servant”, which is the primary meaning of the word. “Minister” was not so much a title in the
early church as a function of being a servant of the church. ‘diakonos’ occurs in the feminine gender only once in
the N.T. “I commend to you our sister Phoebe, a servant of the church in Cenchrea.” (Romans 16:1, NIV) Only one major English
translation (RSV) translates the word as “deaconess”. It seems that Phoebe was being commended by
Paul for her exceptional serving of those in the church in Cenchrea,
and not for serving in the office of a “deaconess”. LEADERSHIP GROUPS MENTIONED IN THE NEW TESTAMENT ·
The
Apostles. (see discussion above) ·
Seven
Special Servants in ·
Elders
in ·
Five
Prophets and Teachers in ·
Elders
in Derbe, Lystra, Iconium, and Pisidian Antioch (Acts ·
Overseers
and Deacons in the church in ·
Elders
in the churches in ·
Elders
in the ·
There
is no example in the N.T. of a “leadership committee”, “men’s business meeting”,
“steering committee”, etc. making decisions for the church. SELECTION OF LEADERS IN THE EARLY CHURCH ·
Judas’s
replacement as an apostle. (Acts
1:21-26) The
selection process: a.
Peter gave the qualifications – been a part of Jesus’s
ministry from the beginning and witnessed the resurrection. b.
The group (seemingly the 120 believers) proposed two men who had the
qualifications c.
They prayed. d.
They cast lots. ·
The
Seven Special Servants in The
selection process: a.
The Twelve expressed the need and asked all the disciples to choose seven men
from among themselves. b.
The Twelve gave the qualifications required (known to be full of the Spirit and
wisdom). c.
The whole group was pleased with the plan and chose seven men. d.
The group presented the men to the apostles. e.
The apostles prayed and laid their hands on them. ·
Elders
in Derbe, Lystra, Iconium, and Pisidian Antioch Appointed by Paul and Barnabas. (Acts ·
Elders
in Appointed by Titus, under Paul’s direction. (Titus 1:5) Again,
the text is silent about what role the church played in the selection process. ·
There
is no information about how the elders were selected in ·
Observations
about the selection process for leaders in the church: a.
God chose not to give a specific process to be used in all situations in all
churches. b.
When the apostles were present, elders could be appointed by them or under
their direction. c.
The principles applied in selecting Matthias and the 7 special servants in d.
The men selected should meet the qualifications set by God. e.
The entire group was actively involved in the selection process. f.
Prayer was central in the process. ·
In
conclusion, there seems to be great latitude about the process by which we
select leaders in our congregation. QUALITIES REQUIRED OF ELDERS/OVERSEERS/SHEPHERDS Paul wrote
to both Timothy and Titus about the importance of appointing elders/overseers/shepherds
in the churches they were serving.
Timothy was in the church in Example
and Reputation ·
“Blameless”
- ‘anegkletos’
(Titus 1: 6,7 – also required of deacons in 1 Tim3:10) The
basic meaning is “blameless”, “beyond reproach”, “free from accusation”. It clearly does not require perfection, or
there would never have been one elder in the church! ·
“Above
reproach” – ‘anepilemptos’ (1 Tim. 3:2) The idea of being above criticism. It is someone who cannot be successfully
attacked, even by non-Christians. This
is a man whose life is of such quality that it is not easy to discredit him in
any area. ·
“Good
reputation with outsiders” (1 Tim. 3:7) It is very important for overseers to
be respected in the non-Christian community so that Jesus and his church are respected. Personal Character Qualities (in no particular order) ·
“Temperate”
– ‘nephalion’ (1 Tim. 3:2) The literal meaning is “holding no
wine”. Later became used for a sober manner
of life. Figuratively refers to having
the clearness of mind and self-control necessary for performing well in the
role of a spiritual leader. ·
“Self-controlled”
– ‘sophron’ ((1 Tim. 3:2; Tit. 1:8) Means moderate, sensible, self-controlled,
prudent. This is a quality of character
that implies that a person has the spiritual strength to show restraint
whenever it is needed. It is easy to see
why this is a desire quality for someone leading in the church, since there are
many situations which call for restraint and composure. ·
“Disciplined”
– ‘egkrates’ (Titus 1:8) This word has a similar meaning to ‘sophron’ above. It
is the idea of being able to master, control, curb or restrain oneself. An overseer
must be someone who is strong and has the ability to control his own passions. He must be controlled by God’s will and not
by other people or circumstances. ·
“Respectable”
– ‘kosmion’ (1 Tim. 3:2) Means well-behaved, modest, proper, orderly. ·
“Hospitable”
– ‘philoxenos’ (1 Tim. 3:2; Tit. 1:8) Refers to being generous, hospitable and
loving strangers. An elder should be
someone who is generous with his time, money, and possessions. He should have a heart of sharing with all
people as he has opportunity. The NT
Christian is always ready (Heb. 3:2) to show hospitality, and to do so with
zeal (Rom. ·
“One
Who Loves What is Good” – ‘philagathos’ (Titus 1:8)
According to the interpretation of the early church the word relates to
the unwearying activity of love. Aristotle calls ‘philagathos’
the man who places his ego under the good.
This is a person who loves what is good and right, no matter what. He is more concerned about what is right than who is right. He is happy when
good things happen no matter who gets the credit. ·
“Upright”
– ‘dikaios’
(Titus 1:8) The range of meanings
is righteous, good, just, proper, honest, innocent, in a right relationship
with God An elder should be living an
upright life, but also be someone who
understands the grace of God and trusts in the
blood of Jesus for his righteousness. ·
“Holy”
– ‘hosios’ (Titus 1:8) Means devout, pious, righteous. An
overseer should be a man who recognized that he is set apart for God’s purposes
and lives a life of submission to God. ·
“Gentle” – ‘epieikes’ (1 Tim. 3:3)
The basic meanings are forbearing,
considerate, yielding, equitable, fair, patient. It includes the idea of not insisting on the
letter of the law in any given case. It
is used to express moderation or kindness toward men. It is used of the “meekness” of Christ. Jesus is gentle as only one who has full
power can be. The weak are always
anxiously trying to defend their power and dignity. ‘epieikas’
is not weakness or sentimentality. Elders
should have the quality of being patient and fair. They should be men who can look below the
surface and see the real heart of issues and make good judgments. ·
“Not
Given to Drunkenness” – ‘parounos’ (1 Tim. 3:3; Titus 1:7) ·
“Not
Violent” – ‘plektes’ (1 Tim. 3:3; Titus 1:7) This is the idea of someone who is not a
bully, not eager for a fight, not contentious, not quarrelsome. An overseer should be a person who is more
eager to peacefully and patiently work things out rather than fight and argue. ·
“Not
Quick-tempered” – ‘orgilos’ (Titus 1:7) This refers to someone who is not inclined to
anger and is not quick to lose his temper. Unrestrained anger can be especially
harmful if it is in a leader’s life. ·
“Not Quarrelsome” – ‘amachos’ (1
Tim. 3:3) The
meaning is peaceable, not contentious, abstaining from a fight. This
word is the opposite of the word ‘mache’ which is used
in Greek literature for physical combat, sporting contests or in general,
conflict or battle of words or opinions.
Being ‘amachos’ means to be peaceable and not involved in battles
over words or opinions. ·
“Not Overbearing” – ‘authades’ (Titus
1:7) The meaning is not self-willed,
self-pleasing or arrogant. An elder must
not be a person who is focused on his own agenda and getting his way. He should be focused on meeting the needs of
others. He should be a good listener. Not like Diotrephes.
(2 John 9-10) ·
“Not a Pursuing Dishonest Gain” – ‘aischrokerdes’ (Titus 1:7; 1 Tim. 3:8 – also required of
deacons) The basic meaning is
being greedy for material gain. An
overseer must not be greedy or materialistic.
The N.T. calls a greedy person an “idolater” (Eph. 5:5), so leaders must
not be greedy. ·
“Not a lover of money” – ‘aphilarguros’
(1 Tim. 3:3) The meaning includes
greed, as the word above, but emphasizes the love of money. This word is the negative of ‘philarguros’ in 1 Tim. 6:10, which says “the love of money is a root of
all kinds of evil”. The one other
occurrence of ‘aphilarguros’ is in Heb. 13:5, “keep
yourselves free from the love of money”.
Since overseers are involved in making financial decisions in the church,
it is important that they not be greedy or love money. ·
“Not a Recent Convert” – ‘neophutos’ (1
Tim. 3:6) This is the word from which the
English word “neophyte” is derived. In
the N.T. it occurs only here and it means recently converted. No specific time is given, so it is up to the
judgment of the congregation. Paul says that a recent convert is
more susceptible to becoming conceited in the role of an elder and should not be
appointed - for his own benefit as well as that of the church. Spiritual maturity is essential for
stable leadership. Family
Qualifications ·
“Husband of one wife” (1 Tim. 3:2; Titus 1:6) Clearly an elder must be married, and to only one wife. ·
“Manage his own family well” (1 Tim. 3:5) Paul
views spiritual leadership in the family as a “training ground” for spiritual
leadership in the church. He says if a man
cannot take care of his own family, how can he take care of the church? It is wise to look carefully at a man’s
relationship with his wife and children to see how he will lead in the church. ·
Children a. “his children obey him with proper
respect” (1 Tim. 3:4) b. “not open to the charge of being wild
and disobedient” (Titus 1:6) c. “children who believe” (NIV) or
“faithful children” (KJV, NKJV) (Titus 1:6) This passage uses the adjective “believing”
or “faithful” children, which is the Greek word ‘pistos’. ‘pistos’
can mean faithful, reliable, trustworthy as well as a believer in the sense of
being a Christian. The context would
determine the meaning of the word. The word occurs 63 times in the N.T. For example, it is translated faithful in Mt.
25:21; 1 Cor. 1:10; 3 John 5; and others. It is translated “believer” in 2 Cor. 6:15; 1 Tim. 4:12; 6:2; and others. If it is taken to mean “believing” children,
then Paul would be saying that an elder’s children must be Christians. If it is taken to mean “faithful” children,
then Paul would be saying that an elder must be raising his children in such a
way that they are respectful, obedient children but not necessarily
Christians. The emphasis here seems to
be on the man’s ability to influence his children to be obedient and respectful
and to develop a faith in God. Note on “desire to serve”. In 1 Tim. 3:1, Paul says “If anyone sets his
heart on being an overseer, he desires a noble task.” This seems to imply a genuine desire to serve
as an overseer is necessary. It is more
like volunteering than being drafted.
Serving well as an elder in a large church is very de manding spiritually
and emotionally. It requires a huge
sacrifice of time and energy. It can
take away some time and energy that should be given to one’s family. It can also put pressure on a man’s wife and
children. Maybe this is one reason why
God wants them to be doing well before a person serves as an elder. It is an honorable and noble act of service,
but each one must evaluate his own family situation and decide if or when he should
serve as an elder. The qualifications for elders can be
summarized in the following three areas:
example (includes personal life
and family), ability to oversee the affairs of the church, and the ability to effectively teach the
Scriptures. A person should have all
these to be effective in the role
of shepherding the souls of God’s people. Ability to Teach ·
“Able to teach” – ‘didakton’
(1 Tim. 3:2) Beyond the character and family qualities,
this is the one gift or skill that an elder MUST have. An overseer must not just be a good person,
with a good family – he must have a thorough knowledge of the scriptures and
have the ability to teach effectively.
The word ‘didaskolos’ (teacher) was used in
Greek literature in the sense of “master of instruction”. ·
“Must hold firmly to the trustworthy message as it
has been taught so that he can encourage others by sound doctrine and refute
those who oppose it” (Titus 1:9) An elder must have deep convictions
based on the word of God, and be mature enough not
to be swayed from it. He must be able to
use the scriptures in a positive way to encourage people. He must have the boldness to confront anyone
teaching false doctrine and the ability to refute it using the scriptures. As a shepherd of the souls of the flock, he must
watch out for those who would destroy the faith of Christians and be able to
silence them by using the scriptures. “Elders who direct the affairs of the church well are worthy of
double honor, especially those whose work is preaching and teaching.” (1
Tim. 5:17) It seems that some of the
elders in QUALIFICATIONS OF DEACONS (1
Tim. 3:8-13) There are
some similarities and some differences to elders’ qualifications. ·
“Worthy of respect” – ‘semnos’ (1
Tim. 3:8) This word means serious, of good
character, honorable, a man of dignity. ·
“Sincere” – ‘me dilogos’ (1 Tim 3:8) Literally means not two-faced or
double-tongued. A deacon needs to be an honest person
who is not a gossip or a hypocrite. He
also needs to be someone who is solid in his love for God, not weak and
wavering spiritually. ·
Other personal qualities which are the same (or
very similar to) those for elders are: a. Not indulging in much wine b. Not pursuing dishonest gain c. Husband of one wife d. Manage his children and household
well (believing/faithful children not mentioned) e. Keep hold of the deep truths of the
faith ·
Deacons wives. The word translated wives is ‘gune’, which can mean “wife” or “woman”. There are some who see this as a reference to
“deaconess”, but that is not clear from the text. The same word is translated “wife” in 1 Tim.
3:2,12; Titus 1:6.
The qualities required of deacons wives are: b. Worthy of respect c. Not malicious talkers d. Temperate e. Trustworthy
in everything ·
Testing – Paul instructs Timothy that deacons are
to be tested before they formally are given the role of deacon. ·
There is not a requirement that deacons have the
ability to teach as elders do. ROLE OF
ELDERS/OVERSEERS/SHEPHERDS The
meanings of the words used for this role are descriptive of the function of
elders. They are men who are mature and
able to give wise counsel and advice.
They are men with the ability to oversee and direct the affairs of the
church. And they are men who are capable
of feeding and protecting God’s sheep.
Please study the following key passages which speak to the role of
elders in God’s church. Acts
20:17-38 ·
v. 28 – “keep watch over yourselves”
- Paul told the elders to very carefully watch
their own lives. Elders should be a
“self-policing” body, helping each other to deal with sin in their lives and
protecting each other’s faith. In v. 30,
Paul warned them that even from among their own number (either from among the
elders or at least from within the church) that men would arise and distort the
truth and draw disciples to follow them.
It is the job of elders to act as shepherds who protect the flock from
false teachers and people who would destroy their souls. ·
v. 28 – “keep watch over…all the flock” “be shepherds of the
·
v. 28 – “the Holy Spirit has made you overseer” - No matter what the
selection process from a human standpoint, elders can know that they are doing
God’s work. They are to oversee the
affairs of the church in the many areas of opinion that are not addressed in
the Scriptures. ·
v. 32 – “I commit you to God” - God is the ultimate source of
guidance, strength and comfort for elders (and all of us). ·
v. 32 – “I commit you to…the word of his grace” - The message of
God’s grace is the foundation on which an elder must build his life and
service. He should be “strong in the
grace” as Paul told Timothy (2 Tim. 2:1).
An elder should always remember that he is but a sinner saved only by
the blood of Jesus. He is not a leader
in a legalistic system like the Pharisees.
This will keep him humble and help him to persevere. ·
v. 34 – “these hands of mine have supplied my needs
as well as those of my companions” – Paul was an apostle and servant of the
church. He modeled hard work for the
elders. He supported himself as well as
his companions while in ·
v. 35 – “I showed you by this kind of hard work we
must help the weak” – Paul modeled for the elders that they should live a
sacrificial life and especially be focused on helping the poor and needy. 1 Peter
5:1-6 ·
v. 2 – Peter, as a fellow elder, tells the elders
that they should be willing and eager to serve.
They should not serve out of obligation only, but have a deep desire to
help other get to heaven. ·
v. 2 – “not greedy for money” – Peter emphasizes,
as Paul did, that elders must not be motivated by money. ·
v. 3 – “not lording it
over those entrusted to your care” – It is very important for elders to be
humble and understanding in their leadership.
They must not be tyrants, ordering and controlling people. This is consistent with Jesus’s
teaching about leaders. (Matt 20:25-28) ·
v. 3 – “be examples to the flock” – Elders are to
show the flock how a Christian should live.
They are to be models for the believers.
There influence comes from their example, not their title. 1 Timothy 5:17-20 |